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mercredi 10 avril 2013

Just over thirty miles east of the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator the
old Emperor, Genghis Khan, rides again. Sat atop his horse, surveying
his dominion (which was after his death to become the largest contiguous
empire in history) a huge 131 feet statue of Genghis Khan dominates the
steppes of Mongolia.

The sculpture, designed by D. Erdenebileg and architect J. Enkhjargal
stands at the banks of the Tuul River. It is here that the great
emperor was said to have found a golden whip at the age of fifteen –
though there is no exact evidence to support this. It was, however,
this whip that is said to have inspired the young Temujin (his birth
name) to go on to conquer much of the known world.

Temujin was born in the middle of the twelfth century in Delüün Boldog
close to Burkhan Khaldun mountain and the Onon and Kherlen rivers now in
contemporary northern Mongolia. It is in this eastern direction that
the statue symbolically points. Below the statue (seen above towards
the end of its construction in 2008) is a museum, surrounded by 36
columns, one for each of the Khan dynasty of emperors.

Visitors to the statue can walk through the statue to the head of the
horse (there is also a lift if you are not inclined to tackle the
steps). Here, cradled by the great man they can enjoy the panoramic
views a statue of this size affords. It came at something of a price
too – the whole complex cost over $US4 million, which was spent by the
Genco Tour Bureau, the company responsible for most of the tourism in
Mongolia.

Image Credit Flickr User Ludovic Hurlimann
Known locally as Chinggis Khaan, the statue is the latest (and largest)
of a number of monuments which have risen to honor the founder of the
Khan dynasty since the country relieved itself of communism in 1989.
The image of Chinggis Khaan is now everywhere in the country, the
nineteenth largest but most sparsely populated country in the world.

Image Credit Flickr User Rich_Lem
Mongolia, now an independent nation, is looking to effectively re-brand
itself (and Khan) after centuries of foreign influence, being bordered
by the behemoths of China and Russia. Through projects such as this the
Mongolian people are seeking to draw Genghis Khan not as a ferocious
and merciless ruler who ordered the deaths of innumerable people but as
something a little more palatable to contemporary sensitivities.

Image Credit Flickr User LD PIX
However impossible it is to treat the ‘Universal Ruler’ (as his name
translates) as a simple and straightforward national hero, the statue
comprehensively ignores any such gradation. There is little room for
shade and tone here. Genghis Khan is portrayed very much as the
brilliant military and strategist, who joined warring tribes to
establish the world’s biggest empire ever. One thing is for sure - he
is magnificent.